The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-09
Facts that Will Enable Farmers to Determine
Whether the Conditions Are Favorable or
Unfavorable for Growing Crops.
4 Suit that Will Settle the Legality of
Contracts Against Public Good.
Washington Residents Trying TO Find Out
Whether the New Postmaster Will Be an
Outsider-Rosser Returns to the Charge.
WEATHER CROP BULLETIN.
Information Which Is Expected To Be Very
Useful to Farmers.

Useful Farmers.
WASHINGTON, May S.-General Greely, Chief
Signal Officer, has arraneedt issue, beginning
with to-day, special weekly bulletin with the
view of promptly placing before the public, each
Monday morning, reliable Information relative
to the climatic conditions in the agricultural dis
tricts of the country. It is believed that these
bulletins, containing the deficiencies
relative to the temperatures and rainfall during
the growing season, will serve reliable basis
for determining the conditions favorable or
favorable for the growing crop. Following is
the weather crop bulletin for the week ending
Saturday, May Z, 1887
During the present year, commencing with
Jan. and ending May l. the weather has been
colder than usual in the States bordering the
Atlantic coast, and from New England westward
over the great lakes, upper Mississippi and Mis-
souri, valleys. TO the Rocky noun tains the re-
gions of greatest cold being in the States border
ing on the great lakes, and thence westward to
the Missouri river, over which the aggregate de-
fcieney of the daily mean temperatures from
Jan. TO date ranged from 200 degrees to 400 de-
grees-an average daily deficiency of from about
1.5 degrees to degrees. In northern New Eng
land and in the south Atlantic States, the total
deficiency IN temperature ranged from 100 de-
grees to 300 degrees, or an average of from
about degree to degrees colder than usual.
The weather has been warmer than usual since
Jan. In the east and west Gulf States, Ten
nessee, Kentucky. West Virginia, and in the
northern portions of Ohio, Illinois and Missouri
the aggregate excess of the daily mean temper
atures from Jan. / to date ranging from 100 de-
grees to 200 degrees the whole region
named. During the week ending May z 1887
the temperature has been warmer than the
erage for the week IN all districts east of the
Rocky mountains, excepting the Florida penin-
sula and Texas. The increase of Temperature
over the normal for the week in the wheat and
regions north of the 40th parallel of lati-
tude has averaged about'ffty degrees. and this
excess has. therefore. caused rapid advance of
the season over region where it was much re-
tarded. In the South the region of excessive
temperature has received still further increase.
and along the Atlantic coast the excess of tenn
perature for the week ranged from twenty five to
fifty degrees, thereby reducing the deficiency in
the temperature for the season in these States
and giving conditions favorable to agricultural
interests.
''Since Jan. there has been large deficiency
in rainfall in the Southern States. ranging from
6 TO inches in the Gulf States and interior of
the south Atlantic States. The deficiency in the
grain regions of the Northwest has been slight.
ranging from to inches II the igwer Missouri
valley and averaging about o1s inch il the
upper Mississippi valley The only regions
showing excess of precipitation for the sea
are as follows: Northern New England the
Hudson-river valley, the upper Ohio valley, sta
tions on Lake Erie and in eastern Michigan. and
in the western portions of Kansas and Nebraska.
The greotest excess, ranging from to inches,
for the season, covers northern and western
Ohio and the western portions of Pennsylvania
and New York. Slight deficiencies in the rain
southern California. During the past week the
raIn-fals in the northern portions of Wisconsin,
Minnesota and Dakota. and in the west Gulf
States in central Mississippi northern Georgia.
and central Alabama, have been slightly
above the average for the week; the heaviest
rain-falls occurring in eastern Texas, Arkansas
and southern Missouri. thus, in measure,
alleviatng the drought previously existing in
those sections. In the western portions of New
York and Pennsylvania, and in northern Ohio
the rain fall for the week has served to increase
the excess of rainfall already reported in those
sections.
''It will thus be that the season, to date,
in the vafaous sections of the country has been
about as follows: In the grain regions of the
North, it has been comparatively cold and dry
in the cotton regions west of Georgia, warm and
unusually dry in the cotton and rice regions on
the south Atlantic coast, cold and comparatively
dry; IN the tobacco regions of Virginia and
North Carolina, cold and dry in the tobacco
regions of Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsyl-
vania the weather has been warmer. with rain
falls slightly less than usual except 10 northern
Kentucky, where the rainfall was slightly in
excess. From the reports received, 1t appears
that the meteorological conditions of the past
week have had the effect of rapidly advancing
the in those sections where it had been
previously retarded